George Orwell or Jetson? A Crossroads for Big Data on Customers

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“It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, and unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself… to wear an improper expression on your face… was a punishable offense. There was even a word for it in Newspeak: facecrime…” George Orwell 1984

We are at a crossroads in the fundamental role and use of these data. Are we creating an Orwellian dystopia or a Jetsonian utopia?

The dystopian view is driving a trust gap between companies and customers. Consumers dread spam, stalker-like invasiveness, unwarranted use of personal information, and overall abuse of trust.

We see an Orwellian world where every facial expression is monitored and acted upon – the punishment being an invasion of privacy or worse. This is leading to a withdrawal of voluntary information sharing.

Likewise, consumers are hopeful and excited about the other view. The George Jetson utopia where fraud detection, retail offers, tailored health care, personalized entertainment, and all aspects of life are supported by helpful, desired, and timely information from the companies and institutions around us.

Our research shows that where companies have demonstrated trustworthiness with consumer information, consumers step up and share. Fraud detection in banks is a significant example.

If consumers distrust or companies have yet to demonstrate trustworthiness – the opposite is true. Health care consumers are less likely to share diet and exercise information with their medical institutions for fear this information may be used by insurance companies to raise rates. Ironically, they are more willing to share information about gym memberships and grocery shopping habits with their banks.

The burden is on companies to earn trust of their customers – to demonstrate how data can help their customers. Focus first on using information to add value to customers. Only after that, can companies focus on how they can capture some of this value to add to their bottom lines. The common trap is to focus first on how the company can benefit from big data on customers and worry about customer reaction later.

First things first. Say hello to Rosie the Robot.

Stephen Pratt is Managing Partner of Worldwide Consulting and Systems Integration at Infosys.